COVID-19

Western containment areas are now merged, curfew hours change

May 30, 2021 6:50 am

Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has announced the containment areas in the Western Division will now merge.

As of 4am today, the Lomolomo border separating Nadi and Lautoka is removed.

There is now one large Nadi-Lautoka containment zone in which people will be able to travel freely to go to work or resume business.

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The PM says businesses will be able to open as long as they adopt the Ministry of Commerce, Trade, Tourism and Transport guidelines and high-risk businesses such as gyms, bars and grog shops will remain closed until further notice.

Next Saturday the borders at the Momi junction on the Sigatoka end of Nadi and at Nacilau, on the Ba end of Lautoka, will also be removed.

The curfew hours for the Nadi-Lautoka containment zone and Viti Levu apart from Lami-Suva-Nausori will now be from 8pm to 4am.

Bainimarama says in the next seven days the Ministry of Health will carry out large screening and swabbing exercises within the one Nadi-Lautoka containment zone.

“Furthermore, from Monday, in two days’ time, the Ministry of Health and Medical Services will roll out a large vaccination roll out in the Nadi-Lautoka zone. I firstly wish to thank all those who live in the Nadi-Lautoka zone and those who live outside this zone but have been impacted by the containment for their perseverance and patience. I know it has not been easy. I also know that many of you understand the necessity of what needed to be done.”

He says from now the establishment of specific locked areas and teams made up of the Ministry of Health and medical services, RFMF and Fiji Police sweeping across suburbs and localities in high-risk zones screening and swabbing will be a major part of the targeted surgical approach.

“As I have stated earlier we continuously are carrying out appraisals based on health and socio-economic imperatives. While these appraisals and assessments are not always carried out in the public domain as it can lead to public panic and consternation, we are able to make firm and decisive decisions.”

Fijians are encouraged to continue practicing all relevant COVID safe measures in order to successfully stomp out the virus from our community.